Brazil & Argentina Trip

I went to Brazil

I just had an amazing trip to Brazil last month from May 7th to May 18th. When I was an international student in Georgia, I stayed with an American host family alongside a Brazilian student named Caio. We spent a year together going to the same high school. He was about to get married, so I went there with my girlfriend to celebrate with him.

Since I can't take vacation for my first 6 months at work, I couldn't get days off. Instead, I worked weekends and put in extra hours to cover my 160 hours per month requirement (my company has flexible time).

Here was my packed schedule:

• May 7th: Leave Tokyo, arrive in New York for sightseeing, then fly to Brazil
• May 8th: Rio de Janeiro sightseeing, then fly to São Paulo
• May 9th: Chill with host family and Caio's family in one big house
• May 10th: The wedding!
• May 11th: Fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina
• May 12th: Explore Buenos Aires, then fly to Puerto Iguazu
• May 13th: Puerto Iguazu (Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls)
• May 14th: Foz do Iguaçu (Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls), then fly to Rio de Janeiro
• May 15th: Rio de Janeiro sightseeing
• May 16th: Mexico City sightseeing (transit)
• May 18th: Arrive back in Tokyo (2 days later due to time difference)

We basically took planes like buses to get around—this trip was incredibly packed!

Day by Day

May 7th: We flew to Brazil through New York since there was no direct flight. As soon as we landed at JFK, we left our luggage in storage in Jamaica, Queens. We took the subway to Manhattan and hit up Times Square, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the Empire State Building. We grabbed Five Guys for lunch before heading back to the airport.

May 8th: We landed in Rio de Janeiro in the morning and went straight to Cristo Redentor. We also visited Escadaria Selarón, Arcos da Lapa, and Catedral Metropolitana before flying to São Paulo.

May 9th: We just chilled at the house where we were all staying. Me, my girlfriend, the American host family, and Caio's family all stayed in one big house. We had a chef who made feijoada, relaxed by the poolside, and played beer pong at night.

May 10th: The wedding day! The celebration started around 4 PM and we didn't get home until 3 AM. Brazilian weddings are incredible—they had both a live band and DJ, and the food was absolutely delicious.

May 11th: We left São Paulo and flew to Buenos Aires.

May 12th: We explored Boca, the Obelisco, and Plaza de Mayo. The city was beautiful and felt much safer to walk around than Brazil. The buildings are gorgeous and very European-style. There are so many coffee places and parks throughout the city, with lots of people just laying down and taking naps. Since I speak Spanish, there were no language barriers. I honestly wouldn't mind living there! We flew to Puerto Iguazu at night.

May 13th: We took a bus to Iguazu Falls and did a boat tour to see the falls up close. We walked the upper trail, lower trail, and Devil's Throat too. It was incredible! We even saw monkeys and coatis on the trails.

May 14th: We visited Foz do Iguaçu, the Brazilian side of the falls. We took a bus and crossed the border. The view from the Brazilian side was absolutely stunning. While the Argentinian side lets you see the falls up close, the Brazilian side gives you a panoramic view of the entire waterfall system. We also went to the bird park to see native Brazilian birds. We flew back to Rio at night.

May 15th: We did a favela tour and walked around the community—it was really interesting and fun. We also went to Copacabana Beach and Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain). We had churrasco for dinner.

May 16th: We flew from Rio early in the morning and arrived in Mexico City in the afternoon. We visited Palacio de Bellas Artes, had amazing local tacos, and walked around the Zócalo.

We arrived back in Tokyo on May 18th in the morning. It was an absolutely incredible trip!